Totoro's Travels
by Elegant Soul
Summary: Two young boys show Audrey, Nathan, and Duke, that not all supernatural forces are threatening, with help from their new friend: Totoro!
1. Welcome to the Neighborhood

_Hello. I this dream one night, and decided to make it into a story. I hope it's okay. _

_Haven belongs to the people who created the show._

_My Neighbor Totoro belongs to the wonderful, amazing, brilliant Hayao Miyazaki._

_The Inir family belongs to me._

_This takes place during Haven Season 3._

Totoro's Travels

Ch. 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood

Audrey and Nathan were busy organizing police files at his house when they heard a crash outside. When they got out front, they saw a man with brown eyes and hair, picking up items that fell out of a cardboard box that wasn't sealed properly. He was standing next to a small rentable moving van. It appears Nathan has a new neighbor.

"Let me help you," Nathan said as he assisted the man gather the fallen items, while Audrey redid the box.

"Thank you," the man said, once everything was back in place.

Two young boys then came out of the house, one looked around 9, and the other boy looked around 5. Both boys had brown hair and eyes. Except the older boy's face was a little narrower, and the younger boy had bangs.

"Boys, meet our new neighbors," the man said. "Mr. . . .?"

"Nathan Wuornos, Chief of Police," Nathan said. The man looked impressed.

"Chief of Police? Wow, now that's—" the man started to say, when Duke's truck pulled up to the curb. When he got out and saw them, he groaned.

"Nathan, you can't intergrade my new chef yet," Duke said as he joined Audrey and Nathan. "Give him a chance to move in."

"Your new chef?" Nathan asked, incredulously.

"Oh, yes, Travis Inir," Travis said, shaking their hands, and then looked at his sons. "Boys, why don't you introduce yourselves to Chief Wuornos and Duke Crocker?" I'm going to work at Duke's restaurant."

"Hi," the older boy said. "I'm Clint, Chief Warn . . . warn . . ."

"Just call me Nathan," Nathan said with a friendly smile. The younger boy looked a little nervous.

"What's the matter?" Travis asked.

"I don't know who she is," the younger boy said, indicating Audrey, who just smiled.

"I'm Detective Audrey Parker," she said, shaking Travis's hand. She then glanced at the younger boy, who looked more confident.

"My name is Oliver," Oliver said, smiling.

"It's nice to meet you," Audrey said, smiling back.

"Clint, Oliver, why don't you get the small boxes out of the van? I'll get the bigger ones," Travis said to his sons. "I just need to talk with Duke."

"Okay, Dad," Clint said, and ran to the van.

"Okay!" Oliver said, and followed his brother. Travis watched his sons before he looked at the trio.

"So, why did you call your new boss?" Duke asked.

"Look, I'm sorry to call you to come out here, but I need help moving in," Travis said in an apologetic tone. "I just want the boys to settle in quickly, and I couldn't afford movers."

"Why not?" Audrey asked, curious. Travis sighed before he spoke.

"My wife, Hannabell, has a rare disease," Travis explained. "To pay for her treatment, I had to rent out our house in Derry as a timeshare. Luckily, a distance relative of hers is letting us stay at one of the houses he owns in Haven, for free."

Audrey, Nathan, and Duke could give Travis sympathetic looks. Before anyone could say anything, they heard the young boys.

"Be careful with that box, Oliver," Clint said, as he and his brother carried boxes into the house.

"I'm fine," Oliver said, walking slowly, trying to balance the box.

"That box has our video games and DVDs! So be careful," Clint said.

Oliver nodded, but the box slipped a little, causing one DVD to fall out. Duke was the first one to reach the DVD and picked it up. He then stared at the cover.

"_My Neighbor Totoro_?" Duke read out loud, looking at the strange creature illustrated.

"Yes. That's one of the boys' favorite movies," Travis said as his sons put down the boxes and joined him. Nathan and Audrey had gathered around Duke to look at the DVD.

"Thank you for saving it," Oliver said.

"Yes, thank you," Clint said and looked at the forest in the back of their new house before facing his father. "Dad, do you think a Totoro lives here? It looks like the forest that Totoro lives in."

"I don't know, Clint. How about you ask Nathan? He's the Chief of Police," Travis said. Clint gave Nathan a curious look, waiting for an answer.

"Um, no, I haven't," Nathan said. "I don't know what a Totoro looks like."

"That's Totoro," Oliver said, pointing to the huge, round, cat-like creature on the cover, as Duke placed the DVD back in the box. Oliver looked Duke in the eyes. "Have you seen a Totoro?"

"No, sorry, I usually spend time on the water," Duke said with an apologetic smile. Oliver looked disappointed, but Clint walked over to his brother.

"Don't be sad. Totoro doesn't live in towns or in the water, he lives in the forest," Clint said, making Oliver smile. Clint then looked at Travis. "Hey, Dad, may Oliver and I look for soot sprites before they leave?"

"Sure, but you must be careful and quiet," Travis said, leaning in closer to the boys' level. "Remember, soot sprites like empty houses, so to see them, they must believe the house is still empty."

"Thanks, Dad. Bye!" Clint said to the trio before running into the house.

"Bye-bye!" Oliver said, and ran after his brother.

When his sons were inside, he looked at the three adults.

"'Soot sprites?'" Audrey asked.

"It's from the movie," Travis said. "They've been watching it more, ever since Hannabell was admitted to the hospital; it's been a distraction for them."

There was an awkward moment of silence before Nathan picked up the box Travis was carrying. Audrey and Duke looked at Nathan.

"His sons are looking for soot sprites and the files are not going anywhere," Nathan explained. Audrey and Duke smiled and found other boxes to carry in. Travis looked truly grateful.

"I don't know—" Travis began.

"Just keep an eye of your kids, don't get arrested, and we're good," Duke said, as he, Nathan, and Audrey walked into the house.

"Look . . . I know I'm asking a lot already, but there will be times when I'm working, and the boys will be at home . . . can you look after them?" Travis asked and realized what he said. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I mean—"

"Mr. Inir, your wife is in the hospital, you have money problems, you're raising two boys on your own; right now, you need people to rely on," Audrey said. Duke and Nathan nodded in agreement.

"I . . . I . . . Thank you," Travis said, once again, truly grateful. "And, you may call me Travis."

"So, where do these go?" Duke asked, indicating the box of video games and DVDs he held.

Travis showed him, as the trio helped the Inir family move in.

* * *

The soot sprites watched the humans from the attic window. Soon they found a hole and floated away to find a new home. Maybe they'll try an empty boat to stay in this time.


	2. Hey, Let's Go!

Ch. 2: Hey, Let's Go!

Duke was about to leave the Grey Gull to go home, when Travis stopped him, and pulled him aside.

"What's going on?" Duke asked.

"I was supposed to go home 5 minutes ago," Travis said. "But then I was asked to help with the catering event. Clint and Oliver wanted to go on a Totoro Search –"

"'A Totoro search?'" Duke asked, trying not to laugh on how silly it sounded, but Travis smiled.

"They wanted to search for a Totoro in the forest, and I said we'll do one today," Travis said with a sad smile. "Listen, I wondered if—"

"—If I can supervise a Totoro Search?" Duke figured out and checked the time. "Let's see . . . around now, Nathan appears to blame me for something . . . so being yelled at by Nathan or search for an imaginary creature? Yeah . . . I'm going for the search."

"Duke, thank you," Travis said, shaking his hand. "I . . . I . . . better go back to work."

"Yes, go do that," Duke said, watching Travis leave.

It was odd that Clint and Oliver enjoyed being with Audrey, Nathan, and Duke more than anyone else. Maybe because they were the first people they met in Haven, but Travis could always rely on those three to help him and his sons while Hannabell was at the hospital. Even for a Totoro Search.

* * *

"So how do you find a Totoro?" Duke asked, following Clint and Oliver, as they walked through the forest.

"Totoro lives underneath the biggest tree in the forest," Clint said.

"We made sandwiches!" Oliver announced.

"What?" Duke asked, readjusting his jacket, as everyone stopped.

Clint and Oliver showed Duke the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they carried in plastic bags.

"We made sandwiches for Totoro!" Oliver said. "My sandwich has strawberry jam!"

"Mine had grape!" Clint added.

"That's . . . great . . . so how are sandwiches going to help you find Totoro?" Duke asked.

"When we find the biggest tree in the forest, we'll leave the sandwiches for Totoro," Clint said.

"But how would he know that it was you who left the sandwiches?" Duke asked.

"Because he's Totoro!" Oliver answered. Duke pretended he was in deep thought.

"You know what? I really like that plan," Duke said, making the boys smile. "It's a very good plan. In fact, it's the best plan I've heard in a long time."

Duke and the boys continued walking through the forest. Sometimes Duke pointed out a big tree, but Oliver and Clint said it wasn't the right size for Totoro, and they continued their search.

"Remembered it rained yesterday?" Duke asked Clint and Oliver, when they stopped for a break. "Well, because of the rain, the trail is starting to get slippery, and I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"But we haven't found Totoro's tree!" Oliver said.

"Your dad is coming home soon. I think finding Totoro with your dad is way cooler than finding Totoro with me," Duke said.

Clint and Oliver thought over that Duke said very carefully before nodding.

"But what about our sandwiches?" Clint asked.

"How about you leave your sandwiches under that tree?" Duke said, indicating a tall skinny tree to the side. "Maybe Totoro stops there to . . . watch birds . . ."

Clint and Oliver quickly agreed and went to put their sandwiches underneath the tree. Once they were done, they ran back to Duke.

"Hey, remember what I said about the ground being slippery? Just stay with walking for now," Duke said, as they started their way back. "I don't want your dad—"

That's when Duke stepped in a slick patch of mud, and lost his balance. Clint and Oliver watched in horror as Duke slid down into the forest.

* * *

Duke didn't know how to stop himself as he tumbled through the forest. He was going so fast, he couldn't see where he was going; especially when he fell through an opening between the roots of a big tree. He then landed on something . . . big, soft, and fuzzy?

The first thing Duke saw were butterflies flying in front of him. He inwardly laughed. Sure, he'd seen birds and stars circling around cartoon characters, but . . . butterflies? Duke shook his head to clear his vision, but the butterflies remained. Wait, they were real?

He then realized the big, soft, fuzzy thing he landed on was slowly moving up and down, like . . . it was breathing.

Duke looked down to see brown-grey and light tan fur underneath him. The fur pattern looked familiar . . .

"Oh, no," he realized, and he carefully crawled up, just to see if he was right. He chastised himself when he saw he was correct.

What he landed on was a huge, furry, humanoid, body connected to a huge, furry, cat-like, head with a black nose and long thick whiskers, currently sleeping. Duke landed on Totoro.

Great, just great; the Inir family must have Trouble that makes their fantasies real, and what the boys wanted was a Totoro. Because of the distorting nature of Troubles, this Trouble would kill him than rather be benign.

"_Duke gets eaten by Totoro; Nathan will never stop laughing," _Duke thought. He felt like he shrunk back to his 8-year-old self, looking up at an adult, seeing how massive Totoro is compare to him. _"Okay, freak out time is over; time to find a way out of here, alive."_

Duke didn't know how much moving he could do without waking up Totoro. So he thought of something new: contact Audrey or Nathan. He took out his phone and called Audrey. That's when his phone beeped, stating there was no signal, and that beep woke Totoro. Duke found himself staring into a pair of sleepy black eyes.

"H—Hi," Duke shyly said, with a soft tone, as he replaced his phone. Totoro blinked. "Um . . . you're dreaming . . . I'm just a dream . . . not real . . . go back to sleep . . ."

Totoro let out a huge powerful yawn. Duke felt the blast of warm air coming from Totoro's mouth.

"Thanks . . . I needed that," Duke had to comment, when Totoro was done.

"To—to—ro . . ." Totoro mumbled and scratched his side. Duke's eyes widen seeing the long, thick, steel-grey claws attached to Totoro's . . . paws? . . . hands . . .? Totoro then growled drowsily, causing Duke to face him again. Totoro blinked as he focused on Duke.

"I'm sorry I woke you . . . I'll leave now," Duke said, as he began backing away. Totoro lifted his head a little to get a better look at Duke, and watched him in curiosity. "You just stay there . . . I'll let myself out . . . go back to sleep, you know . . . rest your head on your pillow . . . close your eyes . . . wrap yourself in your blankets . . ."

Totoro raised his head up some more and looked at Duke, making him stop. Totoro appeared . . . confused, as he looked around, then back at Duke, as if Duke asked him to walk on the moon. Duke then figured out the problem.

"You don't have blankets," Duke said. He didn't wait for an answer, and he took of his jacket, then laid it on Totoro. "There, now you have a blanket . . . now you can go back to sleep."

Totoro looked at Duke, then at his jacket covering some of his body. He then lowered his head as he slowly blinked his eyes closed. Totoro let out another big yawn onto Duke.

"Um, you're welcome . . . I think . . ." Duke had to say. "But, yes, good, good, go back to sleep . . . it's a good idea . . ."

Duke then yawned, suddenly feeling very sleepy himself; maybe he could . . . Wait! What if this is how Totoro captures his prey? Somehow making him fall asleep and then kill him? He had to get out of here before he falls asleep! He had to escape, fast! He had to . . . sleeping sounds very good now . . .

Duke rested his head on his jacket as he closed his eyes, and soon he was asleep. Totoro moved his arm to cover Duke as they both slept; strangely looking like an inverted image of a child sleeping with a stuffed animal.

* * *

"Any luck?" Nathan asked Audrey when she returned. Audrey shook her head.

It was nearly a half an hour since Nathan received a phone call from Travis, explaining what Clint and Oliver told him when he returned home. Right now, Travis was busy trying to calm down his kids, who were crying and blaming themselves for losing Duke. Nathan looked around; he really, _really_, hoped this wasn't a Trouble.

"Okay; I'll join the search team and expand the area," Nathan said. "Audrey, check Duke's truck; maybe someone is really after him this time."

Audrey nodded and walked over to Duke's truck. She was about to start looking for clues, when something caught her eye.

"Duke?!" she exclaimed in a loud voice that got everyone's attention, once she saw Duke sleeping in the back. She then knocked on the windows to wake him.

Duke shook his head as he sat up and looked around, confused. He then got out of his truck, where Audrey, Nathan, Travis, and his sons, stood waiting.

"How did I get back here?" Duke asked, slightly dazed.

"How about we start with 'Where were you' instead?" Nathan asked.

"Duke, what happened?" Audrey asked.

"I fell asleep on top of a giant Totoro—" Duke immediately closed his mouth, knowing how ridiculous those words sounded coming from him. Clint's and Oliver's eyes lit up in excitement.

"You saw Totoro!" Clint happily exclaimed and looked at his brother. "I knew it! Totoro lives here!"

"Yeah!" Oliver cheered.

Clint and Oliver danced around Duke, chanting: "Duke found Totoro! Duke found Totoro! Duke found Totoro!"

Duke covered his face with his hands until the brothers were done with their dance.

"How about you explain everything back at the station?" Nathan said, pulling Duke away.

"I think this is the first time I'm relieved going to the police," Duke said, getting out his keys. Once he opened the door to his truck, he frowned in confusion, looking at what was on the driver's seat. "What is that?"

Sitting there was an item that looked like a present wrapped in leaves, tired around with grass. Clint and Oliver moved closer to look at it and they both smiled.

"It's a gift from Totoro!" Oliver said.

"Yeah, you must have done something nice for Totoro, Duke," Clint said. "If you do something nice for Totoro, he gives you a gift!"

"Well, I did leave my jacket with him," Duke said, remembering the events.

"Now you have a gift!" Oliver said and began to reach for it. "Open it!"

"Duke needs to . . . come with us, first," Nathan said, gently pulling Oliver away from the gift. "He'll unwrap later."

"Okay. Tell us what Totoro gave you, Duke!" Clint said.

"Yes, tell us!" Oliver said, smiling.

"I will . . . sure . . ." Duke said, carefully moving the gift to the side.

* * *

"Nuts and seeds," Audrey commented, when she saw what was inside of Totoro's gift once Duke unwrapped it.

"Plus a few pinecones," Nathan said, examining the items that scattered onto his desk.

"Great; now I can grow a garden on my boat," Duke sarcastically said, gathering the nuts, seeds, and pinecones.

"This is definitely a Trouble," Audrey said, once Duke had put away Totoro's gift. "But something's off."

"What do you mean?" Duke asked. "Giant unreal creature plus me suddenly appearing in my truck equals a Trouble."

"Troubles quickly turn dangerous," Nathan said. "Somehow you came out unharmed."

Duke looked offended.

"I'm sorry; are you disappointed that I didn't get eaten?" Duke asked in a tone mixed with frustration and disbelief. He looked at Audrey. "Can you believe this? He's unhappy that I wasn't killed!"

"The point is that someone in the Inir family is Troubled," Audrey quickly said. "Either Clint or Oliver; perhaps even both."

"Vince and Dave once told me that there are families who needs both siblings to active their Trouble," Nathan said. "We should contact them and see if they have information that could help us."

"It may even be the father," Audrey realized, "or his wife."

"You do remember that you're supposed to narrow down the suspect pool, not widen it?" Nathan said to Audrey with a teasing smile.

"Um, should we do something before Totoro terrorize Haven?" Duke asked. Audrey let out an unfortunate sigh.

"Until we find out who is Troubled, and how it's activated, we can't do anything," Audrey said and Nathan reluctantly nodded in agreement. Audrey then had an idea. "Duke, can you find out more about the movie from the boys? It could help us figure out this Trouble."

"Are you asking me to do undercover work?" Duke asked with a smile. "How much do I get paid?"

"No," Nathan firmly stated.

"Fine, I'll help; only to prevent Haven from being destroyed by a rampaging Totoro," Duke said and looked at his gift. "Let's just hope these do not grow into man-eating plants."


	3. The Bronco and the Catbus

_Note: Whoever can name the Stephen King reference, gets to name one of the doctors in the next chapter._

Ch. 3: The Bronco and the Catbus

"So then you turn off of . . . what's the name, Nathan? . . . Gilead Road . . . that's it, Gilead Road. Any landmarks? Oh, there's an old bus stop sign . . . you know where it is? Good. Thank you," Audrey finished her call and put away her phone. She then moved her umbrella closer to her head before looking at Nathan. "Stan's sending someone to pick us up and tow your truck."

"I know what I'm doing," Nathan said, still working on the engine of his Bronco.

"I believe you, Nathan, but we both know the battery's dead and there is nothing you can do about it," Audrey said.

Audrey and Nathan were investigating a man, Jacob Mortirner, who lived on the outskirts of Haven. Jacob had a Trouble that made it so he had to survive by draining the energies out of machines. Audrey and Nathan talked Jacob into alternate means of sustaining himself and stopped him from draining Haven's entire power grid. He agreed . . . before unconsciously draining the battery from Nathan's Bronco.

This is why Audrey and Nathan now stood outside at night, in the rain, in the middle of the road.

"You got anything better to do?" Nathan asked, looking up at Audrey.

"I'm also making sure you're not hurting yourself," Audrey said with a small concerned smile.

"I can do that as well," Nathan said, smiling back. "Relax, I'm almost done; just keep checking, and tell me when help's arrived."

Audrey let Nathan go back to his work and shined her flashlight across the road, showing the old bus stop sign she told Stan. She then pointed her flashlight left, then right, to see if anyone was coming. Nathan shut the hood of his truck closed as she moved her flashlight in front of the bus stop sign again, and froze.

"Nathan," she said, getting his attention, as he grabbed his own umbrella and flashlight.

Nathan shined his flashlight in the same area and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing next to the bus stop sign was Totoro, wearing a giant leaf on top of his head, with a blank expression on his face. He seemed to be unaware of the flashlights shining at him.

"What is he doing?" Nathan whispered.

"Waiting for a bus?" Audrey guessed. Nathan gave her a look. "I don't know! I haven't seen the movie! We gave that assignment to Duke, remember?"

"What are we going to do?" Nathan asked in a low voice. Yes, they could shoot him, and see what happens, but that seemed so . . . _wrong_.

"Let's talk to him," Audrey said, making Nathan stare at her. At least she didn't suggest shooting him. "Maybe it could give us a clue on how this Trouble works."

Nathan nodded and followed Audrey across the road.

"Hi," Audrey said in a friendly tone, once she and Nathan reached the bus stop. "You're Totoro, aren't you?"

Totoro just moved his eyes to look at them. He then let out a soft roar, before looking at the road again.

"I'm Audrey and this is Nathan," Audrey said. Nathan just gave Totoro a small wave. "You already met our friend, Duke."

Totoro blinked before looking at them again, and let out the same soft roar as before.

"Have you met Clint and Oliver Inir? They are big fans of yours," Audrey asked.

No response.

"So . . . what do you think of Haven?" Audrey asked.

Totoro titled his head to the side, as if he was thinking over the question.

"This isn't working," Nathan mumbled to Audrey.

"Maybe we need to—" Audrey stopped when she saw rainwater dripping off of Totoro's leaf-hat onto his nose, making it twitch repeatedly.

"Audrey?" Nathan asked, as Audrey watched the rainwater fall onto Totoro's nose. She felt _bad_ Totoro didn't have enough protection from the rain.

"Here," Audrey said, holding out her umbrella to Totoro, who looked at her in curiosity. "It will help you keep dry."

Totoro reached out to take the umbrella, delicately holding it with his claws. As he did this, his arm brushed against Nathan's chest. Nathan gasped and took a step back.

"What is it?" Audrey asked, as Totoro studied the umbrella and then placed it over his head.

"I—I—I felt that," Nathan said, stunned, moving closer to Audrey, to share his umbrella with her. "I felt him."

"Whoa, wait; you can't feel Troubles touching you. How is it possible that you can feel him?" Audrey asked.

"I . . . I don't know," Nathan said, astonished. He shined his flashlight in Totoro's face. "What are you?"

This time, Totoro did face them. He then indicated Nathan's flashlight with his long claws, as he looked at it with fascination.

"What? My flashlight?" Nathan asked. "Have you ever seen a flashlight before?"

Totoro's blank stare gave him the answer.

"You can have it," Nathan said, holding out his flashlight. "Take it. I can get another one."

Totoro held the flashlight with the same care as he did with the umbrella. He began playing with it: shining the light everywhere, turning it on and off, moving the light while turning it on and off. He began to smile.

A drop of rainwater fell from a branch above Totoro onto the umbrella while he had the flashlight shining on it. Totoro let out a deep chuckle, watching a few more water drops fall from the branch and hit the umbrella while he shined the flashlight on them. Totoro then gathered himself.

"What is he—" Nathan didn't have time to finish his sentience as Totoro jumped straight up.

Totoro stayed in the air for a second, then landed with enough force to make Audrey and Nathan bounce up, and they grabbed each other as their feet were lifted off the ground. Luckily, they landed on their feet when they came down, along with the rainwater collected in the branches above them. Totoro let out a huge, hardy, deep, roaring laugh, watching the rainwater fall through the light from the flashlight.

"Okay . . . that was new," Audrey had to say.

Nathan then saw something that caught his attention that made him look down the road.

"It looks like Stan came through. I see the car coming," Nathan said, seeing headlights coming towards them. Audrey looked and shined her flashlight in that direction.

"Um, Nathan," Audrey said, seeing the odd movements of the headlights. "I don't think it's for us."

Nathan noticed the headlights were moving in an unusual way as well, and soon Audrey and Nathan could see why.

Coming their direction was a huge cat, the same size of a bus, with dark yellow fur and brown stripes. The headlights were actually its glowing yellow eyes. Its whole body was shaped like a bus, including holes for windows. Audrey and Nathan lost count of how many legs the . . . cat? . . . bus . . .? . . . had.

Just like a bus, the . . . creature stopped in front of the bus stop sign. Audrey and Nathan could see it had a pink nose, thick black whiskers, and even a destination sign placed on the top front of its bus-body. The creature looked at them and meowed with a grin that put the Cheshire Cat to shame. Audrey and Nathan could only stare as one of the openings stretched out, making a doorway to enter.

Audrey felt something touching her shoulder, and looked. She then got Nathan's attention. Totoro was holding the umbrella and the now turned-off flashlight in one hand, while in his other hand, he gently held two gifts, similar to the one Duke received, with his claws. He offered the gifts to Nathan and Audrey, and he gave them a huge wide smile, as he softy roared. Was he saying thank you?

Audrey and Nathan looked at each other before looking at Totoro again, still smiling, as he carefully placed a gift in each of their hands. He then boarded the creature, and the doorway reverted back into a window, when he was inside. Once he was settled, the creature ran off. Audrey and Nathan watched the creature leave until it was out of sight. They then looked at the gifts Totoro gave them.

"I think . . . I need to buy a new flashlight," Nathan finally said; there was still a hint of shock in his voice as he spoke. He then looked at Audrey. "I need to buy you a new flashlight as well."

"I think we need to talk to Duke when we get back," Audrey said in the same tone, while a cop car stopped in front them.

* * *

"A Catbus?" Duke asked, once Audrey and Nathan were done explaining the events to him at the police station. "You saw a Catbus?"

"Is that what it's called?" Audrey asked, then paused. "Wait, how do you know what it's called?"

"Saw the movie with Clint and Oliver today," Duke said, with a small smile, sounding a little proud.

"What did you find out?" Nathan asked, unwrapping his gift, and finding the same items that Duke received inside: nuts, seeds and small pinecones.

"So far, this 'Totoro' is acting the same way as the 'movie' Totoro," Duke said with a small shrug, then paused to watch Audrey unwrap her gift.

"Why does he give us plants?" Audrey asked when she saw the nuts, seeds, and pinecones inside. "Does he know we don't have time to take care of them?"

"Or the place?" Duke added. "How are you going to grow a garden on a boat? Actually, you can if—"

"Duke," Nathan said. "Is there anything else you want to tell us about the Inir family?"

"Yes, there is," Duke said. "The day after my . . . encounter with Totoro, Clint and Oliver found gifts from him next to their back door. Guess what was inside?"

"Nuts, seeds, and pinecones," Nathan answered. Duke nodded, smiling as he pointed to Nathan. "So Clint and Oliver made sandwiches for Totoro and received gifts. You gave him your jacket, and received a gift. Audrey gave Totoro her umbrella and I have him my flashlight, and we both received gifts."

"So this Trouble is making imaginary creatures real that gives out gifts?" Duke said and grinned mischievously. "Then I can't wait for Christmas!"

"Duke, no," Nathan chided.

"I don't think this is a Trouble anymore," Audrey said, making both men look at her. "Nathan felt Totoro."

"He . . . felt . . . Totoro?" Duke asked and stared at Nathan who nodded back. "Okay . . . I'm getting used dealing with Troubles, but how are we going to deal with . . . what are we dealing with?"

"I don't know yet, Duke," Audrey said, looking out a window, watching the rain stop. "Something else we haven't encountered before."


	4. Hannabell and Her Family

_Note: Once again, there are Stephen King references in this chapter. _

_Warning: none of the characters from "Haven" makes an appearance for this chapter. Sorry!_

Ch. 4: Hannabell and Her Family

Looking out a window from a room at John Coffey Memorial Hospital was a fair skin woman with blue eyes. Her brown hair was in a plait and laid over her shoulder. She looked away from the window when she heard a knock at the door and it opened a crack. Through the opening, she saw a man and a little bit of flowers in a vase he held.

"Hi," Travis said to his wife with a small smile. "Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all," Hannabell said, smiling back.

"I hope you're in a mood for a surprise," Travis said, opening the door more.

"You gave me flowers before; that's not a surprise," Hannabell said, still smiling.

"No, the flowers are not the surprise," Travis said, and opened the door all the way.

"Mommy!"

Clint and Oliver ran into the room and gathered around her. Hannabell had to laugh as Travis closed the door and joined his sons.

"My boys," Hannabell said to herself, as she hugged her sons. "I'm happy to see you!"

"We made gifts for you, Mommy!" Oliver said, as Travis placed the flowers down near by.

"I can't wait to see them!" Hannabell said.

"Here they are!" Clint said, handing his mom a small stack of colored drawings as Travis joined them.

Hannabell smiled as she asked Clint and Oliver about the drawings, who proudly answered her questions, and told her who drew what picture.

Travis smiled as he watched his wife interact with their children. It was good to finally see color in her cheeks after weeks of seeing her pale. He wanted to ask her questions about her treatments, but right now, he felt Hannabell needed to spend time with Clint and Oliver, and observing them, he knew he was correct.

"So what's this?" Hannabell asked.

"That's the Grey Gull; Dad works there!" Clint said.

"And they're Vince and Dave! They're really funny!" Oliver said, as Hannabell looked at another drawing.

"Sounds like it," Hannabell said with a tiny smile. She then picked up the last drawing, and looked a little surprised. "What's in this picture?"

"That's Duke, he's Dad's boss and he lives on a boat," Clint said, pointing out the figures in the drawing. "That's Nathan, he's the Chief of Police and our neighbor. That's Audrey, she's works for the police and she's nice. They're our friends!"

"You know who that is!" Oliver said, pointing to the figure in the middle of the picture. "It's Totoro! Totoro visited them!"

"Totoro visited them?" Hannabell asked, giving Travis a somewhat concerned look. Clint and Oliver nodded.

"Yeah! But we haven't seen him yet," Oliver said, sounding a little disappointed.

"But he left us presents!" Clint reminded.

"Yeah!" Oliver said, happy again, and pointed to the bottom of the drawing. "Totoro left us presents! That's mine, and that one is Clint's!"

"That's Nathan's gift, Audrey's gift, and Duke's gift!" Clint added, showing his mom.

"He left us seeds and nuts to grow!" Oliver said, smiling.

"And pinecones!" Clint happily added. "We planted all of them!"

"But they haven't grown," Oliver said, sounding sad.

"Plants take time to grow, remember?" Clint said in a childish authoritative tone.

"But I want a pretty garden for Mommy when she gets home," Oliver said and looked at Hannabell. "You will come home soon, right Mommy?"

"Well, I need to talk to your Dad about that," Hannabell said, and gave Travis a knowing look, before looking at her sons again. "Right now, I need you both to do something special for me."

"What?" the boys eagerly asked.

"The doctors and nurses here have been very good, and I think we should thank them," Hannabell said and her sons nodded in agreement. "How about I page a nurse, and you can get art supplies to make thank you cards for them?"

Clint and Oliver agreed and Hannabell rang for a nurse. Instead, she got a hospital volunteer named Ridley Gordon. Hannabell explained her idea, and Ridley escorted the young boys out. When they were gone, Hannabell looked at Travis.

"Totoro?" Hannabell asked, incredulously.

"I haven't seen him, but those presents are real," Travis said, sitting on the bed, next to his wife. "However, Nathan, Audrey, and Duke have seen him."

"This is what I was worried about," Hannabell said. "I knew I shouldn't accepted Wilfrid's offer."

"Hannabell, I know Wilfrid is a little eccentric—" Travis began.

"He ran through your uncle's anniversary party wearing nothing but a thong and an aluminum foil hat," Hannabell reminded.

"I thought it livened things up," Travis said, grinning, making her smile. "But his heart is in the right place. Like I told you, the house is safe."

"You know that the house isn't the problem, it's Haven," Hannabell said. "I grew up there; you haven't experience the disasters I had to. I mean, there are still Troubles?"

"Yes, and there have been one or two in the past week, but the boys haven't been anywhere near them," Travis said. "And if it looks like the Trouble is going to affect the whole town, I make sure they are safe."

"And Totoro?" Hannabell asked. Travis sighed.

"Like I said, they haven't encountered him yet," Travis said. "You know, Clint and Oliver are now good friends with Nathan, Audrey, and Duke."

"Really?" Hannabell asked, interested.

"Those three have been very helpful," Travis said, smiling. "They really go out of their way to watch over the boys. Can you picture it? The Chief of Police looking after them?"

Hannabell had to laugh.

"I hear Audrey is great solving Troubles. And Duke? The days they miss you the most, he somehow makes them happy again," Travis said, smiling a little. Hannabell smiled back.

"They sound like great people," Hannabell said. "I hope I will meet them."

"You will," Travis said and leaned over to kiss Hannabell on her forehead. He then gently stroked her cheek. "So, what's the news from the doctors?"

"Dr. Coslaw is going to supervise my final treatment next week, and a few days after that, they're going to do a biopsy to see if it worked," Hannabell said and let out a deep sigh. "Then we'll go from there."

"You made it this far," Travis said and gently squeezed her hand. "And you look better every time I see you. I have a feeling this will work."

"Keep the boys safe," Hannabell said, as they hugged each other.

"I will," Travis said. Soon Ridley returned, carrying art supplies, with Clint and Oliver following him.

Hannabell smiled at her children and told them the names of the doctors and nurses to make thank you cards for. Clint and Oliver immediately went to work, as she and Travis watched them.

"_Let them be safe," _Hannabell silently prayed to whatever divine being who was listening, as she gripped her husband's hand. _"If I have to die to make it happen, let them be safe."_


	5. Late Night Planting Dance Party!

_Note: I made a few corrections on past chapters. If you have a chance, please review. Yes, I know the storyline isn't that original, but I've been watching My Mom recovering from revision knee surgery and my imagination is not working at top form._

_I dedicate this chapter to her._

Ch. 5 Late Night Planting Dance Party!

"There they are!" Oliver said, indicating Nathan, Audrey, and Duke, who were about to enter the _Haven Herald_. The three adults stopped, as Travis and his sons ran up to them.

"Sorry, they have a question to ask you," Travis apologized.

"A _really_ important question," Clint corrected with a childish tone.

"It's fine; what is it?" Nathan kindly asked.

"Have you planted the seeds Totoro gave you?" Oliver asked, trying to act serious. The trio looked at each other before answering.

"You know I'm the Chief of Police; I've been busy. I haven't had time to plant them," Nathan said.

"It's really hard to grow plants on a boat," Duke answered. The Inir boys looked at Audrey.

"I have . . . bad luck with plants," Audrey finally said.

"See? I told you that's the problem," Oliver said.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked.

"Totoro hasn't shown up to help us with our garden," Clint said before Travis could say anything. "Oliver said the reason Totoro hasn't appeared is because not all the seeds are planted."

"So we need you to plant your seeds so Totoro can come!" Oliver said.

"Oliver, they said they don't have the time to plant the seeds," Travis said. Oliver looked like he was about to cry.

"Hey, how about we do this?" Audrey said, kneeling down to Oliver. "Nathan, Duke, and I have a meeting with Vince and Dave right now. Afterwards, we'll call your Dad, then meet at the Grey Gull, and give you our seeds so you can plant them?"

"Yeah," Clint and Oliver happily agreed, while Travis mouthed "Thank you," to Nathan and Duke.

"Come on, boys, let's leave them to their work," Travis said, starting to leave.

"Travis, hey, wait," Duke said, stopping Travis. "What was Hannabell's last name before she married you?"

"Her last name . . .? Geary, yes, Geary. Why?" Travis asked.

"Tax forms," Duke answered, and with that, he Nathan, and Audrey entered the _Haven Herald_.

* * *

Audrey slowly woke up hearing the rhythmic beating of drums. That's when she realized she was laying outside, on the grass, at night, still wearing the tee-shirt and pajamas bottoms she wore to bed. As she stood up and looked around, she saw two other people waking up: Nathan, wearing a tee-shirt and sweatpants, and Duke, wearing an undershirt and boxers. The three adults gathered together once they saw each other.

"Where are we?" Duke asked, confused and still sleepy.

"We're in the Inir's backyard," Nathan said, indicating the houses. "That's my house."

"That's nice, Nathan, but why are we in the Inir's backyard?" Duke asked.

"Guys," Audrey said, getting their attention. "Look."

In the middle of the yard was a garden plot, and walking around it were Totoro and two other creatures. The smallest one looked like a cross between a cotton ball and a cat with rabbit ears. The other one looked like a smaller version of Totoro with steel blue fur. Totoro and the other creatures each held something. The white one held a long stem with two thin leaves parallel to each other on the top. The 'mini Totoro' also held a long stem, but with a leaf shaped like a lily pad on top. Totoro carried Audrey's umbrella and tied around his left arm was Nathan's flashlight, turned on, held by Duke's jacket. Nathan, Audrey, and Duke watched them incredulously.

"What are they doing?" Nathan asked, watching the three creatures leap over the garden plot.

"I believe they are trying to make the plants grow," Duke answered, watching their weird moments. He then noticed Audrey and Nathan were giving him odd looks.

"It's in the movie!" he softly snapped back.

"Should we stop them?" Audrey asked.

Her question was answered when the three adults heard the backdoor opened, and Clint and Oliver walked outside in their pajamas, amazed at what they saw. The trio quickly intercepted them.

"What are you doing here?" Clint asked them, curious.

"We'll answer that question back inside," Nathan said.

"But Totoro's here!" Oliver protested. "He finally came! We're going to join the dance! Aren't you?"

"I've never learned how to dance like that," Audrey said, and tried to grab the boys, but the Inir brothers ran off before any of them had a chance to catch either Clint or Oliver.

Clint and Oliver joined Totoro and his friends standing in front of the garden plot. They all began miming plants growing out from under the ground, while the adults watched on incredulously. Should they allow this to go on or stop it? Or would stopping this make things worse somehow?

Soon, a sprout appeared, making Clint and Oliver smile, as they continued to dance. More and more sprouts appeared as Audrey, Nathan, and Duke watched on, speechless and in wonder. As Totoro, his friends, and the Inir brothers continued to dance, the plants grew bigger and bigger. The plants somehow melted together as they grew, becoming one tree with leaves of various species on it. The tree grew larger and wider, covering the houses in its shadow. When Totoro, his friends, and the Inir brothers were done with their dance, the tree was so huge that it now towered over the lighthouse. The Inir boys and the two smaller creatures jumped around, cheering, while Totoro let out a happy chuckling roar, pleased with their work. Audrey, Nathan, and Duke stared up at the giant tree in shock. Finally, Duke slowly walked around the tree, poking at the trunk, every now and then. Audrey soon followed him, examining the tree. Nathan seemed, no pun intended, rooted to the ground.

"It's real," Duke said, when he and Audrey returned the celebrating group, and Nathan, who was still staring at the tree. "That tree is real."

"How can Travis sleep through this?" Audrey asked, and looked at Nathan. "Nathan, are you all right? Can you say something?"

"It ate its plant," Nathan said, deadpan, watching the mini Totoro eat the plant it was holding. The plant the white creature was carrying seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Okay, so what are we going to do now?" Audrey asked, wondering how they were going to deal with this giant tree.

Totoro answered her question by whipping out a top, the size of a volley ball, and let it spin in front of them. The top hovered a centimeter off the ground as it spun.

"What is—Hey!" Nathan exclaimed as Totoro causally gathered up the three adults with one arm, and then carefully placed them around his body. Nathan was on his left shoulder, Duke was on the right one, and Audrey was on top of Totoro's head.

Totoro puffed out his chest as the two smaller creatures jumped there and stuck to his chest like Velcro. The Inir brothers looked and each other and smiled. They ran to Totoro, jumped, and clung onto the fur on his chest. Totoro smiled and hopped onto the top. The top rotated once before it floated upwards, twirling around the trunk of the tree. The three adults gripped Totoro's fur tighter and they flew higher. Nathan had to smile; he could _feel_ how soft and fuzzy Totoro's fur was, and Audrey and Duke noticed.

"Can you . . .?" Duke started to ask, as they flew up through the branches. Nathan looked at them with a huge grin and nodded. "Great; just wanted to make sure you haven't completely lost your mind."

The group then rose out from the tree, and the top circled it before flying higher and away from the house. Clint and Oliver laughed.

"Isn't this great, Duke?" Oliver asked as they flew.

"Can I get back to you on that?" Duke responded, trying to brush his hair out of his eyes.

Audrey looked down as they soared over Haven. The view was incredible and she had to smile.

Totoro let out a huge roar that somehow didn't hurt everyone's ears; the small creatures and the Inir brothers echoed his roar.

The top flew down low, flying a few feet above the ground.

"It's just like the movie! We're the wind! This is so cool!" Clint said and laughed. Nathan then laughed, making Audrey and Duke look at him.

"Nathan?" Audrey asked.

"I can feel it," Nathan said, smiling. "I can feel the wind!"

Audrey and Duke looked amazed, while Clint and Oliver cheered; even though they had no idea what Nathan was talking about.

The top traveled upwards as it soared over the coast. Duke looked down as they flew over the ocean, marveling at the scenery.

"Okay, yes," Duke said, smiling. "This is awesome."

After flying over the ocean for some time, the top headed back to land. The top flew down low once more as it glided over the grass. Totoro stood perfectly balanced on one foot as the top spun around. He then quickly switched legs, before standing on two feet again. Everyone was smiling and laughing as the top headed back to Clint's and Oliver's house.

* * *

"Okay, I give," Duke said, leaning back onto the trunk of the huge tree. "Whatever this is, it's not a Trouble, and it's not harmful."

They were all relaxing on a wide branch high up in the tree. Totoro handed everyone primitive wind instruments to play, but the three adults politely declined, while Clint and Oliver happily accepted. Nathan remained standing, while Duke made himself comfortable, and Audrey sat down, dangling her legs from the branch. They watched and listened to Totoro's, his friends', and the Inir brothers' performance.

"We should continue to keep an eye on the brothers," Nathan said, looking at Clint and Oliver. "This could somehow still be related to them."

"We did find out Hannabell's maiden name for Vince and Dave to research," Audrey said. "We should hear what they have to say, and hopefully this will start making sense."

Nathan nodded, but at the same time he felt peaceful listening to the music.

"You two can still act like cops," Duke said and closed his eyes. "Me? I'm just going to go with the flow."

* * *

Audrey woke up in her bed. How did she get back here? She didn't remember falling asleep. Her phone then rang with Nathan on the other end, asking her to meet him at his home. While she got dressed, Duke called, asking her about last night, but Audrey said just to meet her at Nathan's house. Duke agreed and promised to bring breakfast for all of them.

She arrived at Nathan's house the same time Duke showed up. As she exited her car, she saw Duke kept his promise, carrying breakfast for the three of them. They both saw Nathan talking to Travis in the front.

"So you don't remember seeing or hearing anything strange last night?" Nathan asked.

"Nothing; I don't even remember what I dreamed," Travis said, and noticed Audrey and Duke. "What's going on?"

"Dad! Dad!" Clint said, as he and Oliver ran to them. He then grabbed Travis's hand. "It worked!"

"Look! Look!" Oliver said, grabbing Audrey's hand and dragged her inside to the backyard. Nathan and Duke followed them.

When they all reached the backyard, Clint and Oliver let go of the adults' hands and ran over to the garden plot. There were sprouts growing there.

"See? It worked! All the seeds were planted and Totoro came!" Clint cheered.

"We did it!" Oliver cheered, looking at Nathan, Audrey, and Duke.

Clint and Oliver then danced around the garden plot, while the adults watched. Soon Travis looked at the trio with a concerned expression.

"Should I be worried?" Travis asked.

"Just be glad your sons are happy," Audrey said, watching Clint and Oliver celebrate.


	6. Lost Boys in the Woods

_Note: Once again, there are Stephen King references in the chapter._

Ch. 6: Lost Boys in the Woods

After the magical outing with Totoro, Audrey, Nathan, and Duke didn't run into the Inir family until they saw Travis and his sons at the Farmer's Market. They had never seen Travis so happy before as he, Clint, and Oliver, picked out fruits and vegetables and placed them into a fancy wicker basket. Curious, the three went up to them. The Inir brothers saw them first and informed their dad.

"You look happy today," Duke stated.

"Hannabell's been making great progress," Travis said, smiling. "She had a biopsy yesterday, and today we get the results. The doctors think . . . the treatments worked."

"That's great!" Audrey said, smiling along with Nathan and Duke.

"We're visiting Mom today!" Clint said, grinning. "We're bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to her!"

"Mommy loves fresh fruit and vegetables!" Oliver said.

Travis's cell phone then rang, and he saw it was one of the doctors. He quickly asked the trio to watch the boys while he took the call. He then went over to a quieter area to talk. Audrey, Nathan, and Duke took turns helping Clint and Oliver shop while Travis was on the phone. When he was done, the adults noticed the grim expression on his face. The trio agreed that Duke will watch over the kids while Audrey and Nathan talk to Travis, as he returned.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

"The results . . . they weren't good," Travis said, hesitantly. "They want me to come to the hospital to discuss how to proceed with Hannabell's disease."

"Go," Nathan said. "We'll watch over Clint and Oliver."

Travis nodded his thanks and went over to his sons.

"Boys, I need to go to the hospital right now," he said. "You stay with Nathan and his friends until I come back, okay?"

"But what about Mommy?" Oliver asked, worried.

"That's why I need to talk to the doctors," Travis said.

"Dad, Momm . . . Mom's going to be all right, right?" Clint asked.

"I don't know, Clint," Travis answered and said good-bye to his sons, then left.

Nathan, Duke, and Audrey walked around the Farmer's Market with the Inir brothers a few more minutes, until the boys said they wanted to leave. Oliver tightly held the basket of fruits and vegetables they picked for their mother, as they left; their faces solemn.

"Mommy's going to die, isn't she?" Oliver suddenly asked, causing everyone to stare at him and stop.

"Dad didn't say that," Clint said.

"Dad looked sad," Oliver said. "That means she's not getting better. She's going to die."

"Don't say that!" Clint angrily said. "Dad doesn't know what's going to happen!"

"You don't know too!" Oliver snapped back.

"Hey, calm down," Audrey soothingly said. "How about we all—"

"I don't want you! I want Mommy!" Oliver cried out and ran off, still carrying the basket.

"Oliver!" Clint yelled, following him.

The trio quickly chased after the boys, but lost them in the crowd.

"Duke, Audrey, keep looking for them! I'll start organizing search parties!" Nathan called out, and got out his phone.

Audrey and Duke still couldn't find the Inir brothers when help arrived.

* * *

Search parties were sent out, hours passed, but one could find either of the boys.

"Should we contact Travis now?" Audrey asked, as the sun began to set.

Nathan was torn; it would be responsible to inform Travis about his sons, but he already had a lot on his mind with Hannabell. Before he could make his decision, Vince and Dave ran up to them.

"We heard what happened and we know why," Vince said. "We did what you asked, and researched the Gearys. They are Troubled, but not the way you think. It was about 100 years ago—"

"108," Dave corrected.

"That's not important," Vince said, looking at his brother.

"It is to me! I was the one who found it!" Dave said, holding up a file folder.

"They don't have time to go into details!" Vince said.

"Guys!" Audrey said, getting the Teague brothers' attention. "What happened?"

"Beverly Geary and her best friend, Sibyl Lundy, were in arranged marriages," Vince said. "Of course they hated the idea and ran off, but no one could find them."

"Two days later, Sibyl returned," Dave continued. "Sibyl said that their plan was to hide out in a cabin they secretly brought in the woods, but they got lost, even though they knew the path by heart. Sibyl only found her way back to Haven after Beverly died when she accidently ate a poisonous plant."

"Don't you see?" Vince said. "The Gearys' Trouble prevents people from finding them when they don't want to be found!"

"At the same time, they become increasingly lost and can't find their way home," Audrey realized and the Teague brothers nodded.

"Audrey, I know you're immune to the Troubles, but even you can't locate two boys on your own before dark," Dave said. "I wish we can help—"

"You just did," Duke said. "Audrey, Nathan, I have an idea."

Vince and Dave looked at each other, wondering what was going on, as the trio ran off.

* * *

"What are we doing?" Nathan asked, as they followed Duke through the forest.

"Audrey is immune to the Troubles. Do you know who else is? Totoro," Duke said, as they walked. "In the movie, Totoro helps a girl find her lost sister."

"So your plan is to find an imaginary creature and hope he'll help us?" Nathan asked incredulously with a sarcastic tone, as he stopped. Duke turned around and went up in Nathan's face.

"You got a better idea, Nathan? Because I don't see you coming up with anything better," Duke defensively said.

"Okay, enough," Audrey said, getting in-between them and pushing the men apart; the last thing they need is to be distracted by Nathan's and Duke's fighting. Audrey sighed; why was today the day she had to be the peacemaker between bickering men? She then noticed one of the trees in front of her. "Duke, is this the tree where you found Totoro?"

"I think so," Duke said, slowly moving closer, and Audrey followed him. Nathan quickly moved forward to inspect the tree.

However, he did not realize the ground underneath was slippery and lost his balance. Audrey and Duke each grabbed a hand, but they were dragged down through the opening along with Nathan through the opening of the tree. They all landed on top of Totoro's chest, who was waking up. Audrey and Nathan quickly glanced around in wonder before joining Duke in explaining the situation to Totoro.

Before any of them could finish talking, Totoro wrapped his arm around the trio, and held them as if they were nothing more than dolls, as he sat up with a huge reassuring smile on his face. Totoro got up, still holding onto the three close to his chest, and leaped through a hole, high up in the tree. When they were out, Totoro ran _up_ the trunk, as if he was just running down the street, until they reached the top of the tree. Totoro inhaled deeply before letting out a powerful roar that did not hurt the humans' ears. Before anyone could ask, the trio saw the Catbus running to them. When it was close enough, the Catbus leaped through the branches of the tree, and stopped next to Totoro and the three adults, grinning at them.

"How is—" Nathan began to ask, when the destination sign changed so it now read 'Clint and Oliver Inir.' Duke felt his jaw dropped when he saw one of the openings stretched out into a doorway, while Totoro had a proud smile on his face as he let them go. Audrey looked at him.

"Thank you," she said, clasping his hand. Totoro gently roared back and motioned them to board.

Audrey entered first, followed by Nathan and Duke. Nathan took two steps and stopped as the doorway reverted back into a window. Audrey and Duke turned around to see Nathan bouncing up and down.

"Nathan?" Duke asked.

"I can feel," Nathan said and smiled. "I can feel the floor."

Audrey and Duke were not completely surprised, but the Catbus mystery could wait; right now they need to find Clint and Oliver. The three adults each found a place to sit and Nathan's smile grew as he felt how soft and plush the seat was. Once everyone was safety seated, the Catbus meowed and took off, while Totoro waved at them.

The trio had to smile as the Catbus traveled through the forest. It seemed trees parted to make a path for them. Nathan would never admit it, but had to be one of Duke's best ideas.

* * *

Clint held Oliver close as they sat between the roots of a large tree.

"What are we going to do, Clint?" Oliver asked as he cried. "I want to go home!"

"We'll rest here for a while; then we'll find our way home," Clint said and looked around, trying to hold back his own tears.

He couldn't understand how he and Oliver could get so lost and he was beginning to worry that no one was looking for them. It was so dark now; he was really scared that they'll be—

"Clint! Oliver!"

The Inir boys got up and looked around. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the Catbus leap down in front of them. Audrey, Nathan, and Duke quickly exited the Catbus and ran up to them. The Catbus patiently watched as the Inir brothers apologized, while the adults looked them over.

"No injures, good," Nathan said, when the he was done, and the boys went over to examine and pet the Catbus. Duke then noticed something.

"You're still carrying the basket," he said to Oliver.

"I thought . . . maybe if Mommy saw the fruits and vegetables . . . she'll get better," Oliver shyly admitted.

Before the adults could say anything, the Catbus meowed loudly to get their attention, and the destination sign changed so it now read 'John Coffey Memorial Hospital.'

"You can take us to see Mom?" Clint asked and the Catbus grinned. He then looked at the adults.

"We can see your Mom," Audrey said as Clint smiled and Oliver hugged the Catbus. "But going to have a talk on the way . . ."

As the Catbus leaped onto a transmission tower, and nimbly ran across the wires, the trio explained the nature of the Troubles to the Inir brothers.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight . . ." Travis said, sitting down next to his wife's bed. "The reason the results were wrong, was that two interns decided to have sex in the lab?"

"Yes," Hannabell said and giggled. "I could hear Dr. White reprimanding them from here. From what I hear, their punishment is cleaning out bedpans for 6 months."

Travis had to laugh and placed his hand on top of hers.

"I'm just happy that they redid the tests and the real results were good," Travis said, with a kind smile. "I was going to bring the boys to visit you today, but I had to leave them in Haven, when I received the call. They don't say it, but they really miss you; I can see it in their eyes."

"I miss them as well," Hannabell said, with a sad smile. "But now I know for certain I will go home and see them."

"They'll be so surprise when I tell them what happened," Travis said and smiled. "Except maybe I should leave out the part of the interns having sex . . . for now . . ."

Travis and Hannabell laughed.

* * *

Observing Travis and Hannabell from a tall tree was Audrey, Nathan, Duke, and the Inir brothers. All of them were sitting on a thick branch; the Catbus was standing perfectly balanced on another branch parallel to the humans. The Inir brothers smiled as they watched their parents.

"Mommy looks happy! That means she's healthy," Oliver said.

"I think you're right," Audrey said. She then heard Nathan let out a small embarrassed laugh that made her look at him. "Nathan?"

"I just realized with all this . . . magic, I forgot to call off the search parties," Nathan said, blushing a little, and Audrey smiled.

"Dad looks happy as well, that means she is getting better," Clint commented.

"You know . . ." Duke said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "It's a shame you took your time getting those fruits and vegetables for your mom, and can't give it to her . . ."

* * *

"I'm going to drive you crazy when I get home; I'm going to spoil our boys silly!" Hannabell said, causing Travis to laugh. She then noticed something. "What is that?"

Travis turned around. Sitting on the window ledge was a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables. He went over, picked up the basket, and brought it over to Hannabell. Lying on top of the fruits and vegetables was a business card with a note written on it:

_Get well soon, Mommy!_

_ Love,_

_ Clint and Oliver_

Travis picked up the card and examined it, while something caught Hannabell's eye and she laughed. Travis paused and looked at her, curiously.

"I must be on some strong drugs," Hannabell said. "Because I thought I saw Clint and Oliver in one of the trees."

"Maybe you did," Travis said, this time making Hannabell look at him as he smiled. "Remind me to make my famous berry cheesecake for Audrey, Nathan, and Duke."

Hannabell was wondering what Travis was talking about until he flipped the card over and showed her it was Nathan's business card.

* * *

Nathan did call off the search parties as they returned to Haven, and afterwards, he enjoyed the trip home with Audrey and Duke. The Inir brothers had fallen asleep.

After they brought the boys inside to put to bed, the trio went back outside and noticed the Catbus on the roof. Audrey, Nathan, and Duke waved their thanks as the Catbus slowly faded away and vanished as it leapt off the roof.

"So," Audrey said when the Catbus was gone. "Should we tell Travis what happened while he was gone?"

Nathan and Duke looked at each over, wondering what to say, as the trio heard Totoro and his friends performing.


	7. Welcome Back Home

Ch.7: Welcome Back Home

Audrey, Nathan, and Duke sat around the Inir's front yard, watching Clint and Oliver pace, while they checked the street every now and then.

"You realize you're going to wear down the grass doing that, right?" Duke asked with a smirk, causing the boys to pause.

"But it's been _forever_!" Oliver whined.

"You just have to wait until your dad returns," Nathan said. "How about you sit here with us, and watch the clouds?" We can play a game where we say what the cloud resembles?"

Clint and Oliver smiled and sat down with the adults.

"That game sounds boring, Nathan," Duke said, with a somewhat disappointed tone, but then he smiled. "How about we play the game I invented when we had to wait as kids?"

"Duke, I think that game is too . . . complicated for them," Nathan said, hoping Duke will get his hint with his choice of words. "You were 14 when you invented that game, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I was," Duke said, grinning. "And you're right, that game is too . . . complicated for them."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Audrey said, smiling.

Nathan and Duke both blushed, but before either man could say anything, Travis's car pulled up. Clint and Oliver wanted to run to their dad, but the trio gently held them back.

"Remember what your Dad said," Audrey kindly reminded.

The boys nodded, and tried to remain patient as Travis got out and went over to the passenger's side to open the door. He then helped Hannabell out as the brothers' eyes brighten seeing their mother. As Travis shut the door, Hannabell saw her sons and smiled. The Inir brothers carefully ran to her. Audrey, Duke, and Nathan had to smile seeing Hannabell greet her sons.

"You're better, Mommy!"

"You're home!"

"It's wonderful to see you again," Hannabell said, almost crying.

"Hey, boys, how about you help me carry Mom's things inside?" Travis said, picking up a suitcase.

Clint and Oliver quickly agreed ad helped their dad. This was when Hannabell noticed the trio, who walked over to her.

"You must be the three I heard so much about," Hannabell said, as they shook hands and introduced themselves. "I can't thank you enough, especially about . . . our Troubles."

"Didn't Travis explained what happened?" Duke asked.

"He . . . tried," Hannabell said, quickly glancing at Travis, who was joking with Clint and Oliver. "Travis knows Troubles are real, but . . . he has a hard time understanding them."

"We'll go over that with you," Audrey said with a reassuring smile.

"There is one thing that still puzzles me," Hannabell said, looking at them, as Travis and his sons finished unloading his car. "This . . . Totoro . . . ?"

The trio looked at each other.

"We haven't found any records of anything similar to Totoro," Nathan said. "Whatever Totoro is, it's something new."

"I . . . see." Hannabell said and smiled a little. "I guess I have to thank Totoro as well for looking after my family."

"Come on, Mom!" Clint said, poking his head out. "We can't have you're welcome back party without you!"

"I'll be right there!" Hannabell said and looked at the trio. "I hope you stay for a little while; Travis made his berry cheesecake to thank you."

Hannabell then entered the house. Audrey, Nathan, and Duke turned around and looked at the forest, remembering all their encounters with Totoro. It was . . . nice for once to have a supernatural event that didn't put everyone in danger. Maybe one day they'll solve the mystery of Totoro and perhaps Totoro could help them end the Troubles. The trio took one last look at the forest before they joined the party.


	8. Totoro's Travelogue

Epilogue: Totoro's Travelogue

Totoro looked back at the town humans called Haven as he waited. This was an interesting place he chose for his vacation. He felt bad for the humans and their Troubles, but he admired their perseverance to overcome the Troubles and how they aid and understood one another. He wanted to help the humans rid themselves of the Troubles, but sadly centuries of sacrilegious acts upon nature have weakened his power here. Maybe if someday if they learned to live in balance with nature he could have enough magic to remove the Troubles for good.

The Catbus arrived and Totoro boarded. It was time to get back home to his camphor tree and greet the grandchildren of Satsuki and Mei.


End file.
